


Mutual Care

by Nyx Midnight (nyxmidnight)



Category: The Evil Within (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Post-Game(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-03
Updated: 2014-12-03
Packaged: 2018-02-27 23:04:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2709941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyxmidnight/pseuds/Nyx%20Midnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the events of the game, Sebastian and Joseph have to go home and go on with their lives. But first things first.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mutual Care

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to Emerald Embers, Syd Lopez and my beta reader Wolfsbride.

Detective Sebastian Castellanos realized two things when he took a right into the driveway of his place: first, the squad car he had borrowed didn't have his remote for the garage door on board, and second, the remote for his garage door would have been useless anyway, as he was in Joseph Oda's driveway.

How he got there without crashing the car was a mystery.

"Are we there?" Joseph mumbled, raising his head weakly. He was pale, pallid even, his face drained of all colour. If that stroll down the path of madness had taken a toll on Sebastian, Joseph was apparently even worse off. He still managed to undo his seatbelt and get out of the car, but it took twice the time it would take a normal man. "Come on in," he added as he stretched his back beside the car.

"Are you sure? Your wife and kid must be waiting for you."

"They're at her mother's for the week," Joseph explained as he walked around the car to open the driver's door for Sebastian. "Come in, Seb," he repeated in a tired voice.

Sebastian didn't protest any further and climbed out of the car. Something told him he didn't want to leave Joseph alone tonight. Heck, something told him he shouldn't leave himself alone tonight.

They made their way to the porch, and took their shoes and socks off before going into the house. After what they had marinated into, in fact, levitating inside would most likely have been the better option. But alas, they could only walk inside, greeted by darkness and silence. Sebastian had been in this house many times, but suddenly it felt oppressive. Dangerous, even. He reached for the light switch, where his hand met Joseph's as he turned on the light.

Joseph's hand was cold, even through his glove.

"I need a shower," Joseph said, almost to himself, as he stepped forward into the house, shoes in hands.

Sebastian stepped into the living room, not sure what to do. On the one hand, Joseph probably wanted privacy. On the other hand, Joseph was so tired he might slip and injure himself, and—

And when a shirtless Joseph carrying too many towels just for himself stopped in the hallway and silently looked back at Sebastian with an expectant look in his eyes, Sebastian proceeded down the hall and joined him in the bathroom, closing the door behind himself.

Joseph had already put the towels within reach of the shower door and was now taking off the rest of his clothes, putting them in a separate basket well away from the other dirty clothes under the counter.

"I think we should just burn them," Sebastian pointed out as he unbuttoned his vest and shirt.

Finally, that got him a faint smile from Joseph. "Don't... don't do that." With a wife staying at home and a on year old in the house, money was a bit tight for Joseph at the moment. Those were, unfortunately, probably his good pants. Joseph adjusted the water temperature and stepped inside the shower as Sebastian continued to undress.

When Sebastian joined his partner in the shower, the water was hot, almost scalding. As much as Sebastian preferred showers further away from boiling point, he could understand the need for something a little more drastic. Joseph seemed cold, and like him, probably felt like he would never be clean again.

Not that Joseph wasn't trying to, scrubbing himself vigorously with a towel and soap everywhere he could reach, from under his toenails to the shell of his ears.

Sebastian took this as his cue to take his hot towel, soap it up and begin scrubbing Joseph's back, relishing in the opportunity to touch his very much living partner. Even his gunshot wounds were gone, leaving lithe muscles and pale flesh unmarked.

If this was not real, Sebastian wanted to enjoy it a little longer. With great care, he wrapped his arms around Joseph's torso, then stepped closer, his wet chest to Joseph's sudsy back. He felt Joseph shiver against him, so he held him tighter, and tighter still as Joseph's breathing became ragged with contained sobs. Sebastian himself felt tears prickling his eyes, or maybe it was the soap. It was probably the soap. And Joseph was not trembling or crying either. It was the cold and the stream of the shower.

The crisis seemed to last for hours, but it must have been mere minutes as they had not run out of hot water yet. Once he stopped trembling, Joseph stepped away, rinsing himself off and handing Sebastian the bottle of shampoo. Sebastian did not know what to say, so he said nothing and did as suggested, pouring shampoo on his hair and washing himself thoroughly. He finished just in time for the water of the shower to turn cold, and both men stepped outside hurriedly before reaching back to turn the water off.

They both towelled themselves dry in silence, until Joseph wrapped his towel around his waist and grabbed a safety razor. "C'mere."

Sebastian stepped closer and said nothing about Joseph's tired, reddened eyes. He didn't even say a thing either when Joseph lathered his jaw and neck with shaving cream. He closed his eyes and let out a small sigh as Joseph cupped the back of his head with one hand and the razor began gliding against his skin. Not that that hand stayed at the back of his head for very long; soon, Joseph was using it to touch his face, his cheeks, turning his head this way and that way to better shave him, pressing his thumb against Sebastian's bottom lip to shave his chin, resting his fingertips against Sebastian's collarbone as he shaved his neck. 

"All done," Joseph announced in a low voice as he patted the rest of the shaving cream off Sebastian's face with a towel.

Sebastian opened his eyes at that and was greeted by the sight of his partner dressed in only a towel and apparently transfixed by the sight of his bottom lip. There was a moment's hesitation, then Sebastian leaned forward to close the distance between them. He quickly retreated, though, and Joseph did as well, on account of their absolutely foul breath. Sebastian had come over often enough to have his own toothbrush in Joseph's bathroom, but that didn't make the five minutes spent brushing any less awkward. Joseph, in fact, didn't dare look him in the face again until he joined Sebastian in the guest bedroom, where Sebastian had spare underwear and pants.

Sebastian was, in fact, already in bed when Joseph joined him there. He was glad to see Joseph put his glasses down on the tiny table by the bed and slip under the sheets with him. He didn't expect to be able to sleep tonight, and Joseph's presence would ease the urge to resort to alcohol as a sleeping aid.

For now, Joseph had no such problem. He was exhausted, physically and mentally. The moment he joined hands with Sebastian and laid his head down on the pillow he was gone. He was gone so fast that Sebastian turned to him to check his breathing. Finding Joseph breathing steadily despite having his forearm laid across his eyes, Sebastian put a light kiss on his partner's bottom lip and squeezed his hand lightly.


End file.
